190 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



bon, and other strong kinds of salt ought to be used, but Cagliari salt, 

 and other looser kinds of English and French salts may also be em- 

 ployed, especially if the fish is intended for immediate consumption. 

 The salt must be somewhat crushed so that the larger crystals may 

 melt in the brine, and the salt thus come into contact with the meat of 

 the fish as much as possible. 



As salt herring are mostly exported to distant places, and during 

 their transportation in ships are exposed to injury from contact with 

 heavy freight piled upon them ; and as, even on railroads and wagons, 

 they run the risk of being somewhat roughly handled, they ought to be 

 transported only in tight and strong barrels, firmly hooped, so that there 

 may be no danger of the brine escaping. It may be well to mention here, 

 that a leaky barrel of herring is not worth one-fourth the price of a sound 

 barrel. As soon as the herring are taken from the net, they ought to be 

 thrown into vessels filled with pure and clear brine. In no case ought 

 so many herring to be put into a vessel as to cause the upper layers to 

 press too heavily on the lower ones. If the number of fish caught is 

 very great, a larger number of vessels ought rather to be employed. 

 After the herring has thus been brought into immediate contact with 

 the salt, it is, after a while, taken out to be cleaned, in which process 

 care must be taken to remove the entrails and gills, but not the roe and 

 milk. Every fisherman knows how to do this. After the herring has 

 been cleaned, it is again placed in another vessel filled with pure brine. 

 When all the fish have been cleaned, or while the process is going on, 

 the cleaned herring are taken out of the brine and washed in fresh and 

 pure sea-water, and then placed in small baskets with wood-shavings at 

 the bottom, so that the water may drain off. The fish are then sprinkled 

 with salt in the following manner: They are placed loose in a barrel, 

 together with crushed salt, the proportion being 3 gallons (kappa) per 

 barrel, (tuuua,) of about 4 bushels. In every layer the fish and the salt 

 are stirred so as to mix properly. After twenty-four hours, the fish are 

 again taken out of the salt and placed in baskets, so that the briue may 

 run off. This process is finished in about an hour, and the fish are then 

 properly packed and salted in other barrels, arranged in layers, with 

 the back downward, and crushed salt placed between every layer, reck- 

 oning about 5 gallons to every tunua, (see above.) When the barrel is 

 full it is exposed to a slight pressure, so slight that the fish is kept 

 under the brine, but not so heavy as to cause the fat and juice to 

 exude from the fish into the brine, since this would injure their flavor. 



The barrels are left standing open in this state for some time, (about 

 two or three days,) and as the mass of the fish siuks down, new layers 

 are placed on the top. When, after some days, the sinking of the fish 

 may be considered finished, the barrels are filled up and closed. Every 

 fourteenth day, at least, these barrels ought to be gently rolled about 

 and turned up and down, so that the brine may penetrate the whole 



